Velan's Cuisine Extraordinaire

[NOV]

- Won't the rice become sticky ? If so, any trick to avoid it ?
- What rice you used (Here we get more Basmathi and sometimes Raw and Boiled ones, I have all the 3 though)

And Tauhu sambal, where can I get it ? In a Chinese Shop or is there a way to prepare it ?

Thanks Karthik

1. No, the rice won't be sticky - the coconut milk should not be too thick. If you are using milk from coconut, mix first and 2nd milk. If you are using packed ones, dilute with water. Milk from one coconut is enough for 4 cups of (raw) rice.

2. Basmati can be used. But for better flavour use Thai white rice. Fragrant rice works well too. No, pulungal cannot be used.

3. Tauhu is firm tofu - you can probably get it from any Asian shops. It looks like this




some people have told me that it can be substituted by paneer, but I don't know.

Request : Nalla Karama oru gravy sollunga Nov, malayasian style, please.

அப்புறம் மலேஷிய வெஜ் டிஷ் ஒண்ணுகொடுங்க..

aduththu varudhunga

[NOV]

Clockwise from left: turnip fritters, yam perattal, mixed vege, pok choy (chinese green vege), milk kesari, cucumber salad, tauhu curry

[NOV]

Tauhu curry



Cube tauhu and deep fry them for a while (not until they become crispy)
In a little hot oil add thaalippu (kadugu & ulundhu), sliced onion, curry leaves, sliced garlic, sliced chilly - one by one - and fry till fragrant. add chilly powder and curry powder with water and bring to boil.
Add cubed potatoes and sliced tomato and cover, leaving it to cook.
When cooked, add salt and fried tauhu and dish out.

Note, if you need to add more water during cooking, make sure its hot.

[mappi]

Chef,

Please add these in my (our) request list :

1/ pok choy (chinese green vege)
2/ milk kesari

Saturday shopping panna vasathiya irrukum.

[NOV]

Pok choy is a Chinese leafy vegetable. I am not sure whether it's available in the place you reside.




Pok choy is best cooked with oyster and soy sauces. But such cooking may not complement our Indian dishes.
So, here is the compromise.

In some hot oil, fry lots of sliced garlic over very low heat. Do not burn the garlic or you will get a bitter taste.
Add some sliced onion and strips of red chilly.
Cook the thandu pieces first as they take longer to cook than the leaves. Add some water, cover and let it cook in the steam.
Add the leaves and a tiny amount of white sugar (to retain the color of the vege).
Finally add salt to taste.

[NOV]

Yam perattal

Cut yam into small cubes and cook in coconut milk.
Splatter some mustard seeds (kadugu) in hot oil, add sliced onion, curry leaves, green chilly and fry till fragrant.
Add cooked yam and give good stir.
You can eat with rice, chapati or even make a sandwich with bread.

[NOV]

Turnip/Yam Bean (thanneeervittaan kizhangu in Tamil, sengkuang in Malay) Fritters

Cut turnip into small cubes. In a bowl mix turnip, sliced onion, green chilly and salt with wheat flour. Batter must have bubbles when left to rest, otherwise its too thick.
Drop spoonfuls into hot oil and fry till golden brown.

[NOV]

Milk Kesari

Paal kesari is nothing but normal kesari made with milk instead of water. Use lots of toasted almond strips for crunchy feel.

Dissolve sugar in one cup of milk. When the syrup becomes one patham (runs as a string when lifted and poured back) add roasted ravaa. Add yellow colouring and rose essence/pannir. As the ravaa gets cooked, add liberal amounts of ghee.
Once it becomes one big lump, add toasted almond strips and fried raisins, and place on flat container. Slice when cool.

[mappi]

Excellent NOV. Thanks for the above posts.

Yam - we get African ones here (huge sized), which are very stubborn to get cooked. So I stopped using them.

Got the Tauhu sans problem.

Pok Chok - the one in the picture posted by you resembles a lot the Shangai Version. The store keeper showed me another one from the Pak Choi family which has more greens and the steam is longer and straight rather than like a bulb. When I explained your recette, she suggested to me that this one "Xiao Pak Choi" will be a good choice. So I got it.



I like sauces in the salade, so I am going to try it with the Oyster Sauce (& I have the habit of taking non-vegeterian foods too, so no problem).

[NOV]

Wow Karthik, I am impressed.

If you can get kailan, I will give you a very simple, yet delicious recipe.



First you would have to cut off the base and have individual stalk of leaves. No chopping required.
Then you boil water, add some salt and sugar. When water is boiling, immerse leaves in hot water. Remove quickly and then immerse in normal water.
Then immerse once more in the boiling water and then lay them on a serving plate. The idea is for the vegetable to be cooked but still crunchy.

For the sauce, fry a lot of garlic slices. Again do not burn them. Add long slices of red chilly. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce with some water. Since soy sauce is there, you do not have to add salt. Once its boiled, pour over the cooked kailan. Garnish with fried, crispy onions.

Serve immediately with white (preferably Thai) rice.



Unlike Indian cooking, asian cooking tends to use less condiments so that they do not overpower the taste of the original dish.